2021 garden season

[sonny580]

Anybody thinking about the upcoming garden season? Plans? bigger smaller, same size plots? Any change in crops or crop varieties? How about equipment?
We plan on the same 4.5+ acre garden this year but will have more different varieties than last year. Prostate cancer last year really slowed me down and I have a few ideas this year to help keep the weeds down.
The usual 5 or 600 tomato plants, several dozen cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant will be planted IF the seed will grow. Expanding the hotbed area by 3 times current size for starting major amounts of plants at the same time this year trying to get a jump on the weather if possible.
Onion plants are on order and the week of March 23 they plan on shipping them and we can usually plant same day we get them. didnt get any on order last year but did this time.
Hauled in over 25 big dump truck loads of horse manure last fall and plowed it under 16" deep after subsoiling 36" deep with our antique JD subsoiler.
Looks like there are 4 other horse owners not far from here that offered us there horse manure, so we will stockpile it during the summer and spread in the fall after harvest and plow it under again.
Would like everyone to join in this discussion! Thanks!

 

[Del_]

Just gearing up to start our vegetable seedings indoors.

 

[sean donato]

I'm about on par with Del. Have a few planted waiting for sprouts, and the rest will be planted here soon. I think we're going to try out the "big" garden area again this year, and well as the small garden off the side of the house. Normal stuff will be planted, hot peppers, bell pepper, tomatoes, beets, lettuce, cabbage, eggplant, cucumber, squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and this odd kohlrabi plant my wife likes that I detest.

 

[southpaw]

Have 2 50'X 50' gardens and excited already for the upcoming season

Just the house hold basics , like tomato (several types of course ) kale ,spinach , beets, onions and would like to grow eggplants and potato like always but the potato beetle problem was horrible last season .......I don't use any type of herbicides or pesticides so the weeds and potato beetle make life hard for me .

I put down 20 Cu.Yd. of mulch last year and I use grass clippings all summer along with tons of leaves that people leave me out here but still I get overwhelmed with weeds eventually as I cave in to hand picking them , think I'll go with black mesh barrier this year , All the wood bark from splitting goes right in the gardens also

Never used chemicals but think I may have reconsider things

Oh, and grew Tomatillos last year and man are these awesome , most people say what in the world are those things but when they try one they are hooked so going to have plenty of them this season

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Still have 4 months before planting time.

 

[Goinwheelin]

I’m always thinking about next season, but I didn’t start getting serious about this one until the winter solstice. I added heat pads and a digital thermostat to my germination closet with my focus on growing hot peppers and chiles this year. I’ve already started on Habanero, Cayenne, Serrano, and Carolina Reaper. Those seedlings will hang out in the back room until they get true leaves then move to the grow room in the garage. After that I’ll start on the Numex Chiles and the Jimmy Nardellos mid to late February. The only tomato I’m growing this year is the Tami G F1 hybrid. Veggies I won’t start until mid March or April. My plot is only 18’x25’ so I’m space limited but I’ll sneak a zucchini and cucumber in there. I have a mound off to the side where I’ll grow sugar pumpkin and that is about it. Oh and the raspberries I forgot about those.

Edit: around these parts peppers are either hot or sweet. Chiles are relatively hot but much larger and intended for roasting or stuffing. My favorite is the Numex stuffed with cream cheese and roast chicken sprinkle with pepper jack and bake in the oven mmmmmm

 

[sean donato]

Have 2 50'X 50' gardens and excited already for the upcoming season

Just the house hold basics , like tomato (several types of course ) kale ,spinach , beets, onions and would like to grow eggplants and potato like always but the potato beetle problem was horrible last season .......I don't use any type of herbicides or pesticides so the weeds and potato beetle make life hard for me .

I put down 20 Cu.Yd. of mulch last year and I use grass clippings all summer along with tons of leaves that people leave me out here but still I get overwhelmed with weeds eventually as I cave in to hand picking them , think I'll go with black mesh barrier this year , All the wood bark from splitting goes right in the gardens also

Never used chemicals but think I may have reconsider things

Oh, and grew Tomatillos last year and man are these awesome , most people say what in the world are those things but when they try one they are hooked so going to have plenty of them this season

I make my rows wide enough apart to get the little tiller between them. Makes keeping the weeds at bay much easier.
I have been doing my winter splitting over the bug garden area, I figured the dirt is always so nice and black out back where I split by the wood shed, may as well just make the mess in the garden area this winter. Seems to be working out so far, and I dont have to load the dump cart up with the shovel and truck the mess away.

 

[sonny580]

4 months will go fast! We did get plant tray heat mats for this year--never had them before and they sound like a good idea so any little help will be great in starting seeds indoors. Later on we will start the outdoor hotbed and get a lot of our "saved seed" going out there along with the sweet potatoes for plants.
We find that it is necessary to use a few chems. to help control weeds and bugs. We dont go too heavy with them---just enough to do the job.
We usually have a lot of different squash and pumpkins. sugar pie is a great one. This year we are adding Dickinson type----had them years ago and they make the best pies! --Libbys use a modified version of the Dickinson variety.
New this year will be honey dew melons---havent had them for 10 years but used to grow them. A few watermelons will go somewhere.
Potatoes this year will go to different area. Also will be planting a bunch up at Pontiac club show grounds to demonstrate a members antique digger.

 

[Wood shed]

Filled (topped off) our raised beds with manure and seeded the hole garden to winter rye in late Aug.

Actually the first two pics were spring and the last was Aug. 2020.

This is the watering system we used with drip hose, water tank hold 80 gallon, next year will pressurize tank with a 12V sprayer pump.

 

[sonny580]

Nice raised beds you have there! ----we tried them one year but didnt have time to carry water enough to do the job.----kinda gave up on them. They would work if you had a good way to water them. A guy on the other side of the county here uses them but he has water system and drip tape in them.
Today I got another big dump truck load of horse manure to add to the compost pile.

 

[AKTrailDog]

Been thinking about gardening season a lot, lots of new projects this year involved. But I can't get anything in the ground til June anyway. It'll be fishing season by then! Then it'll be hunting season. The one season that doesn't end though is wood harvesting. Pretty jealous of the long growing seasons everyone else has

 

[sean donato]

Just got my seeds planted in their pots this weekend, pics to follow if/when they start to pop.

 

[sonny580]

We just started testing some of our saved seed to see how much of it will still sprout -----have some libby type canning pumpkin seed from 2014 that still sprouts--- kinda thought we lost that variety but might still be hope for this year. We love them for pies! ---I know there are other pumpkins and squash that work but we have been growing these for many years from saved seed. Last year they froze off --- late freeze here did a number on everything, no fruit either. late garden wasnt our normal way of growing, but did get a LOT of good stuff by hauling water all summer. Hauled 13,000 gallons from neighbors big well and saved the garden. Hope this year is a bit better.
Always wondered if you could grow gardens in Alaska. A friend of mine lives in Kodiac but never said about gardens there----he works in a machine shop part time and retired.
AK TrailDog -----LOVE your avatar pic! I always wanted to visit Alaska!

 

[AKTrailDog]

We just started testing some of our saved seed to see how much of it will still sprout -----have some libby type canning pumpkin seed from 2014 that still sprouts--- kinda thought we lost that variety but might still be hope for this year. We love them for pies! ---I know there are other pumpkins and squash that work but we have been growing these for many years from saved seed. Last year they froze off --- late freeze here did a number on everything, no fruit either. late garden wasnt our normal way of growing, but did get a LOT of good stuff by hauling water all summer. Hauled 13,000 gallons from neighbors big well and saved the garden. Hope this year is a bit better.
Always wondered if you could grow gardens in Alaska. A friend of mine lives in Kodiac but never said about gardens there----he works in a machine shop part time and retired.
AK TrailDog -----LOVE your avatar pic! I always wanted to visit Alaska!

Thanks! It's tough growing up here outside. If you have a way to heat greenhouses or high tunnels you can start/extend a month or two but the ground/raised beds don't thaw until June and first freeze can happen late Aug, usually mid Sept where I'm at. Some fantastic growing though. The matanuska valley produces some of the largest vegetables in the world. As long as the soil is good and nutrient rich, it's amazing what you can do.
I started making all my own soil last year with everything found on my property (dirt, trees, leaves, woody debris, compost, chicken poop etc) been working well so far. Anxiously waiting to see how things produce this season

 

[sean donato]

Thanks! It's tough growing up here outside. If you have a way to heat greenhouses or high tunnels you can start/extend a month or two but the ground/raised beds don't thaw until June and first freeze can happen late Aug, usually mid Sept where I'm at. Some fantastic growing though. The matanuska valley produces some of the largest vegetables in the world. As long as the soil is good and nutrient rich, it's amazing what you can do.
I started making all my own soil last year with everything found on my property (dirt, trees, leaves, woody debris, compost, chicken poop etc) been working well so far. Anxiously waiting to see how things produce this season

Sounds better then the mountain clay I got lol. Got a lot of leaves and wood dirt mixed in for this year. Last year got a truck load of peat moss. It's looking better this year. But well see how she produces.

 

[AKTrailDog]

Sounds better then the mountain clay I got lol. Got a lot of leaves and wood dirt mixed in for this year. Last year got a truck load of peat moss. It's looking better this year. But well see how she produces.

For the most part there's good soil around or good enough make soil but there's also the clay and glacial moraines to deal with at times. Can be more rock than dirt. Then there's permafrost in other areas. Places that haven't seen daylight in 10,000 years. That's the fun stuff, dig a hole and hit ice

 

[Goinwheelin]

Carolina reaper sprout

Seed starting closet

Need to get these guys transplanted to bigger pots and under the bigger lights. I’m slacking already lol

 

[sean donato]

My little set up. Not the best but its functional

 

[Goinwheelin]

My little set up. Not the best but its functional
View attachment 884882

Gotta love those jiffy greenhouses. And emergency blankets.

 

[sean donato]

Gotta love those jiffy greenhouses. And emergency blankets.

Heck yeah lol